Soon you can take a direct bus to Kathmandu through three routes. The three bus roads connecting the two countries are: Kathmandu - Bhairahawa - Sunauli - Gorakhpur - lucknow - New Delhi; Kathmandu - Bhairahawa - Sunauli - Azamgarh - Varanasi - New Delhi; and Pokhara - Bharahawa - Sunauli - Gorakhpur - lucknow - New Delhi. The trip can be covered now without any break of journey at the border posts and changing vehicles. Passengers of both countries had to till now change vehicles and shift to the country’s local transport while entering India or Nepal.
The Government on Tuesday adopted the SAARC Motor Vehicle agreement with Nepal for ‘Regulation of Passenger Traffic’ between the two countries. The formal agreement to be signed during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Nepal, would facilitate Nepal-India bus services on reciprocal basis and a seamless movement of people from the two countries. It would promote tourism and people-to-people interaction. These three routes have been identified for the bus service in the first instance and more routes are expected to be opened at a later point of time.
Besides, an agreement for passenger and cargo vehicles movement in SAARC countries is also expected to be signed during the forthcoming visit of PM Modi to Kathmandu.
According to Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, efforts will made to prevail upon leading Indian transporters to simultaneously commence a regular bus service, from Delhi to Kathmandu, on the same day of signing the agreement
In addition to the regular bus service along the three routes, the Motor Vehicle Agreement also provides for movement of private vehicles and non-regular passenger vehicles across the border. Such private and non-regular passenger vehicles would be entitled to use all established entry and exit points in the agreed upon framework envisaged under the Draft Agreement.
“India is doing its bit to support the development of infrastructure in Nepal particularly for connectivity and people-to-people contact,” said Gadkari, who was in Kathmandu on Tuesday for final round of negotiations with the Nepalese Government. “The proposed SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement has wider scope for movement of all types of vehicles across SAARC member States and will be a path breaking endeavour,” said Gadkari, while addressing the Infrastructure Summit organised by the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) at Kathmandu.
In order to improve connectivity in the region and increase people to people contact India is also working towards opening a bus route between Imphal and Mandalay in Myanmar. Already a New Delhi-lahore bus service between India and Pakistan is in place.